Richard Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar RPG Hits Kickstarter

Ultima creator Richard Garriott is making a new fantasy RPG called Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues. However, to make the game happen, he'll need $1 million from you gamers.

Shroud is said to be inspired by Ultima. While it features a central plotline, players can also go off and explore the world. The game's Kickstarter page adds that players can create their own home as well.

"The familiar psychological profiling used to create your character, organically derived game-play responses to player behavior and fundamental virtues and consequence of actions will all play a huge role in Shroud of the Avatar," says developer Portalarium, Inc. "Players will be free to choose their path, but must then live with the consequences of their actions."

The game is said to support multiplayer. However, it can be played offline if you're not the social type. The online player-versus-player is said to "meaningful" with a minimum of griefing.

It's a bit surprising to see this game on Kickstarter. Garriott's kind of a legend due to the Ultima series. Still, it's been over a decade since the main Ultima series wrapped up. Maybe I'm overestimating his current clout with publishers.

Shroud's crowdfunding campaign will run for 30 days. To donate or learn more about the game, head to Kickstarter.